On Being an Ambassador for CED

With almost 30 years of experience supporting 

Ambassador Claire Cormier (left) networks
at the CED Life Science Conference.

entrepreneurs, CED continues to create innovative programs and resources, as well as, finding new ways to connect our more than 750 members. The CED network is a valuable resource for entrepreneurs and in an effort to sustain and enhance this network, we established the CED Ambassador Program this year.

Fifteen representatives from CED member companies volunteered as the inaugural group of ambassadors in January. They have committed to reaching out, welcoming and introducing new members to the Triangle’s entrepreneurial community. The hard work has paid off, both for the ambassadors’ networks and for the new members who are trying to navigate the Triangle’s business communities.

Ambassador Tina Cochrane, director of HireNetworks, jumped right on board, reaching out to new members and making connections within her own network.

“CED is an invaluable resource for me and my clients,” said Tina. “After being an active participant for eight years, I recently decided to become a CED Ambassador to assist new members as they navigate through the programs.  I enjoy being an ambassador and meeting people that are new to an organization that will help them grow their company to the next level.  It will be fun to watch as CED becomes an integral part of that growth.”

She has already made a difference for new members. “Tina told us about the awesome entrepreneurial communities and actually introduced us to the local professionals,” said Munjo Yu, co-founder of iLoveSpeaking.com. “That included the director of an incubator and a CED member law firm who is helping startups.”

CED’s mission is to identify, enable and promote high-growth, high-impact companies and to accelerate the entrepreneurial culture of the Research Triangle and North Carolina. What better way to do this than to leverage our members’ existing networks and connections to help entrepreneurial companies grow and succeed in the Triangle! 

If you have questions about CED, membership or ways to become involved, please contact Jane Royall at jroyall@cednc.org or 919-226-0468.


Thank you to all the 2013 CED Ambassadors:
 
Matt Barber, Idea Fund Partners
Lindsay Burns, Hutchison PLLC
Tina Cochrane, HireNetworks
Claire Cormier, Full Scale Solutions
Malik Khan, Point Click Technologies
Brian Marks, Coursefork
Beth Mullaney, Rankin McKenzie
Justin Nifong, NK Patent Law
Jayson Punwani, Pappas Ventures
Joanna Rogerson, Gematouch
Pat Scheper, Silicon Valley Bank
Thomas Schroder, Square 1 Bank
Will Smith, Waterplay USA
George Szewczyk, Biokier
JT Vaughn, Cherokee Investment Partners